


Move me

by longhairshortfuse



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Fluffy Ending, M/M, Moving In Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 03:51:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3194252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longhairshortfuse/pseuds/longhairshortfuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Its moving day and Cecil can't get the day off work.<br/>Carlos is willing to pack but it's a bigger job than either of them imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Move me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [psychosomatic86](https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychosomatic86/gifts).



> Moving house is horrible.

"It's a good apartment, Cecil!"  
"Carlos, it's an affordable apartment." Cecil sighed. "It's a little smaller than I hoped for."  
Carlos pulled a face and shrugged. "I'm sorry. I wish I earned more but science just isn't lucrative unless you are building something terrible. Pure research pays especially poorly. Remember I've been living in the lab. Are you _very_ disappointed?"  
"What? No! Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. Radio doesn't pay much either. Well. They do say _for richer for poorer_ hmm?" Cecil winked and grinned. Carlos blushed.  
"Cecil, we're moving in together, not... oh you're laughing at me. Again."  
"Come here."  
Carlos walked over to Cecil and accepted a hug in lieu of an apology. He relaxed into Cecil's embrace.  
"Mmm. Y'know the absolute best thing about this apartment, Cecil?"  
"Hmm?"  
"We are going to live here. You and I. Together." 

They stood in the living room.  
"Cecil, is all the stuff in your apartment yours? I mean, you don't have to leave anything for the next occupant?"  
"I have to leave the white goods in the kitchen, but the Faceless Old Woman set most of them on fire at one time or another so they are mostly not worth bringing. Everything else belongs to me. What have you got?"  
Carlos scratched his chin and stared at the ceiling for half a minute.  
"I possess one bag of clothing, my bedding, three boxes of books and my TV. Everything else belongs to the landlord. Oh, and that throw you gave me because of what we did to the sofa."  
Cecil giggled. "Yeah, probably ought to leave that."  
Carlos nodded. "Yeah. We should leave it." 

Carlos moved his stuff in first. Everything fitted in one car journey like it had when he arrived, although that was an assumption because he didn't actually remember arriving in Night Vale. He woke up in the lab one morning knowing he was at home. He put the book boxes in the small bedroom and his bag of clothes and TV in the big bedroom.  
He drove to Cecil's and let himself in. Cecil requested a day off for moving house but after a lengthy chant to Station Management he found his padded swivel chair replaced with a moulded plastic backache-inducing canteen seat with one leg a different length from the other three. He took that as a no.  
Cecil had started to pack. Sort of. Carlos sighed, closed his eyes, counted to ten, opened them again. But nothing looked different. Open boxes and piles of belongings littered the floor and every surface was cluttered with stuff removed from cupboards. He started nearest the door. It was impossible to start anywhere else. A text arrived.  
 _Hey, how is packing going? xxx"_  
 _My stuff is moved I'm at your place now. x_  
 _That's great! We'll be moved real quick! xxx_  
 _How did you get out this morning?_  
 _I started in the kitchen and finished by the door. See, I can be logical too, mister scientist! xxx_  
Carlos shook his head and sat on the floor. 

By the time Cecil got back from work, Carlos had filled boxes from the hallway to the living room and had almost reached the kitchen. Everything was packaged as carefully as if it were precious lab glassware and each box was comprehensively labelled.  
"Hey Carlos! Oh wow, you have been so busy! Is it all boxed?"  
"No, Cecil, not nearly. I did the hallway and the living room. You have so much stuff and it all needs labelled so we know when we're unpacking where to put it and--"  
"Wait, wait, you're labelling everything? Like, _everything?"_  
"Of course! That's what I do when I have to move a lab. Pack, label, inventory," Carlos waved his clipboard. "It's the only way we will be able to unpack in the correct order. The boxes are numbered and I have a list of what's in each box. It was difficult because I didn't even know what some of your things are and I had to look them up or make up names based on a scientific description of their appearance."  
"Carlos?" Cecil frowned. "We are only moving across town. It's okay just to sling stuff in boxes and worry about the contents when we arrive!"  
"No, no, no Cecil, I have to do it properly."  
Cecil sighed. "I hoped we could move in tonight. I guess it will take a little longer than that with you in charge." 

Carlos stiffened.  
"What do you mean _with me in charge?"_  
"Well, if you just threw things in boxes without worrying so much the boxes would be ready and we could call St... Stee... to help with the heavy stuff. But that'll have to wait until tomorrow because you--"  
"Are you saying it's MY fault we can't move in tonight? Seriously? I've done all the work today!"  
"Carlos, I know that! I just think that maybe you're making it harder than it needs to be."  
"I'M making it harder? How! I'M doing the packing! You are so disorganised, it's going to take me the whole day tomorrow to finish your boxes! Some HELP would be nice."  
"I can't help it if I can't get time off! My contract says--"  
"That's a very fucking CONVENIENT contract! Gets you out of all the stressful part of moving! All you have to do is go to work, come home and expect your stuff to be packed. Then tomorrow you go to work, come home and it's all unpacked!"  
"Carlos, that's not fair and you know it."  
"DAMN RIGHT I KNOW IT!" 

Cecil walked out and slammed the door. He realised after a minute that he had just stormed out of his own home with nowhere else to go. He got in his car, drove a few streets away and parked outside a bar. After a minute he went in.  
Carlos sat on the floor with his head in his hands. He swore and punched the nearest box hard enough to rattle the contents. 

_Hey I love you please come home x_  
 _Are you going to shout at me?_  
 _No. Never again. I promise. x_  
 _I'm still upset._  
 _I'm sorry, meet me at the new place? one hour?_  
 _ok_  
 _Can you bring food? I have not eaten today._  
Cecil sniffed and wiped his face. 

Carlos checked the time and set a countdown timer on his phone. He would show that he could pack quickly. He made a list and looked for the things he needed. 

Cecil checked the time and left the bar. He went to Big Rico's and collected the pizza he ordered earlier. Cecil drove slowly the unfamiliar route to his new home, tears threatening to spill. Moving day could hardly have been worse. It was so different from what he imagined.  
Why did Carlos want to meet him at the new apartment? It was empty and cold. Carlos was right, it would take another whole day to move in.  
Cecil parked in the street and carried the pizza up to their door. He rang the doorbell. 

It was a moment before the door opened. Carlos took the pizza box, took his hand and led him inside. Soft light came from the living room and it was warm.  
"Close your eyes, Cecil."  
Cecil did as Carlos asked and allowed himself to be led.  
"Okay, open?"  
He stared. There were candles on the floor, the window sill and the worktop of the kitchen corner. A little folding tray-table with an ice bucket and a champagne bottle, two glasses, two cushions. An electric fan heater blasting out warm air and...  
Cecil burst out laughing.  
"Carlos, is that a _camp_ in our living room?"  
"I found your old scout stuff. I figured we could still move in tonight. If you want, if you don't mind sleeping bags." 

Cecil hugged Carlos and kissed him. Carlos stroked Cecil's hair.  
"Cecil, I was angry because I was stressed by the upheaval. Disorder gets to me. I'm sorry I yelled at you. You didn't do anything wrong."  
"I guess packing my stuff is a bigger job than I thought."  
"I don't want to talk about packing. I want to talk about how great it is going to be when we've moved in properly."  
"I want to eat pizza before it gets cold."  
"And drink champagne before it gets warm?"  
"Yes. That too." 

They sat on cushions, ate cooling pizza with warming champagne in the dim candle light and talked about nothing. Carlos watched and smiled as Cecil zipped the two sleeping bags together into one, cleared away the remains of dinner, blew out all the candles apart from one on the window sill and held a hand out to him. 

"Dance with me?"  
"I didn't bring any music."  
"Imagine it. Something slow."  
"Okay."  
Carlos stood and held Cecil as they swayed to imaginary music. The track in his head ended. Cecil leaned his forehead against Carlos's and closed his eyes.  
"Thank you for this, Carlos. I love you."  
"I love you too, Cecil."  
"Umm, you did bring... by any chance...?"  
"Cecil? A scientist is always properly equipped." 


End file.
